1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved water tank for an ice making machine having an integral support system to alleviate stress on an ice cube guide placed on the water tank and provides a center chute for ice to flow through and fall into a bin positioned below.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known in the art that there are essentially two types of ice making machines, household units and self-contained commercial units. The household units are typically combined with refrigerators commonly located in the kitchen of a house or office. The household units manufacture relatively small batches of ice by using cool air to freeze water in a tray located in the freezer section of the refrigerator.
The self-contained commercial units are most frequently used in hotels, restaurants, taverns, hospitals, as well as any other establishment regularly requiring relatively large batches of ice to be provided for customers. It should be noted the self-contained commercial units can be further separated into one of two categories depending upon the type of ice they manufacture, namely flaked and cubed. The self-contained commercial units can manufacture ice in several well known ways.
For example, a steady stream of water is either circulated over or dripped onto a chilled ice mold, which deposits several thin layers of ice in pockets of the mold, resulting in ice cubes. Other self-contained commercial units circulate the steady stream of water over ice making plates. The plates can be flat, grid-shaped, or any other configuration necessary to accommodate the specific shape desired. Evaporator tubes are attached to the back of the ice making plates to change the flowing water to ice via heat exchange. The ice making plates are known to be designed to have single or dual-sided rows of ice.
Water that does not freeze after being circulated over the chilled ice mold or ice making plates is collected in a water tank located beneath the ice making assembly. The collected water is recirculated over the chilled mold or ice making plates until the water is cool enough to freeze. Normally, the making machine is designed to stop ice production when the formed ice has reached a predetermined size. Then, when the ice making machine has determined that the chilled ice mold or ice making plate is substantially full of ice, the formed ice is harvested from the mold or plates. The harvested ice is typically stored in an insulated, but unrefrigerated, bin. The bin is insulated to keep the ice cool but is unrefrigerated so the ice may melt slowly, thereby preventing the ice from sticking together.
The ice making mold or plates are chilled because of their proximity to the evaporator of a standard refrigeration circuit. Typically, refrigerant gas is compressed within closed tubes of a refrigeration circuit. A compressor, driven by an electric motor, compresses the refrigerant to a high pressure and supplies the compressed refrigerant to a condenser. The condenser then cools the compressed refrigerant using air or water blown across tubes by a fan.
The compressed refrigerant is then passed through an expansion valve, which considerably drops the pressure of the refrigerant, thereby cooling the refrigerant. Tubes holding the expanded, cooled refrigerant are attached, usually by welding, to the back of an evaporator plate. The evaporator plate is typically made of copper and is attached to a lattice-like structure of evaporator tubes, also made of copper, used to mold the ice into cubes. The lattice-like structure and evaporator plate form the mold or plate and, together with the copper tubing, are known as the evaporator.
The ice is harvested by passing hot compressed air into the evaporator so the ice mold or plate is warmed and the ice slightly thaws. Typically, the mold or plate is positioned so gravity pulls the semi-thawed ice off the mold or plate and into the ice storage bin. The storage bin includes an ice level sensor so the ice making machine halts ice production if the bin is storing a predetermined amount of ice.
An electronic controller, such as for example only, a microprocessor, controls the process to activate the operating parts like the fans, motors, pumps, and valves that control the functioning of the ice maker. The ice level sensor provided in the storage bin is also controlled by the microprocessor.
Commercial self-contained ice makers are required to continuously and reliably produce relatively large amounts of ice. Furthermore, since the self-contained ice makers are primarily used in the service industries, i.e., hotels, restaurants, and the like, when an ice maker breaks down or produces an insufficient amount of ice, service is disrupted. However, because ice is a fungible good and provides very little if any profit, users typically do not seek better ice, but rather less costly ice made from a reliable and cost efficient ice maker that is easy to assemble and maintain.
Accordingly, low-cost operation requires an ice maker be nearly maintenance-free because down-time for maintenance costs money as someone must be paid to service the machine. Furthermore, such low-cost operation and maintenance must extend over many years, as ice makers are relied upon to manufacture ice over a long period of time.
Another problem faced by many ice making machines is corrosion. Because ice making machine housings are typically made of metal, corrosion occurs from the water splashing about the interior of the machine due to the water dripping onto the mold, as well as when ice is released for harvesting. Also, manufacturing an ice making machine having a structure that deals with the splashing water without leaking usually involves seals having various types of fasteners to make the machine water-tight. Therefore, because there is a large number of parts needed to provide a watertight seal, assembling such ice making machines is generally complicated.
Yet another problem ice making machines face is the difficulty of servicing and maintenance. Preferably, the refrigeration components and the control electronics should be isolated from the splashing water and humidity of the ice maker, yet still allow easy access for repair. In other words, ice making machines must be able to insulate the cold areas and wet areas from the dry and warm areas.
In particular, the ice making section has to accommodate water circulation, ice molds or ice making plates, water tanks, pumps, and evaporators. To be efficient, the ice making section must also be water-tight, insulated, and simple to clean and maintain. Some existing designs have roto-molded sections made for the entire ice making section. Although this design meets the above-described design criteria, there is the drawback that there must be a specific mold for each size ice making machine, which increases factory time and manufacturing costs.
Ice guides move the formed ice along a predetermined path from the ice making plate to the ice storage bin. The ice guide must withstand the dropping force of the ice as well as permit the splashing and dripped water to flow to the water tank below so as to be recirculated. Some known ice guide designs provide a chute that directs the water into a small tank to be pumped. Other ice guide designs also have the chute going to a particular area. Furthermore, the ice guide should be designed so none of the manufactured ice becomes stuck, which can lead to bridging and malfunction of the ice making machine, thereby necessitating maintenance if not repair costs.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the water tank is not only used to store water in the ice machine, but also acts as a level guide for ice inlet and as a checkpoint for ice production. Some existing water tank designs also have level switches to gauge when to turn the water valve on and off based on the level of the water therein. However, because of the additional components needed to provide these other functions, the water tanks are very difficult to clean and maintain when trying to remove build-up of scale, lime, or other such residue that results from the water being circulated therethrough. Yet other existing water tank designs are thin and rather narrow when compared to the evaporator section positioned above the water tank. In other words, the width of such water tanks are smaller than the width of the evaporator section. Such a configuration tends to make the water tank difficult to reach for cleaning, repair, maintenance, and the like.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention is to provide a water tank that overcomes the above-described deficiencies of the related art.
Another object of this invention is to simplify the design of the water tank for a commercial self-contained ice making machine. The tank is also usable as the base of the ice manufacturing portion of the machine and has a receiving area large enough to service multiple evaporators simultaneously. Furthermore, the structure of the water tank eliminates the need for a separate part for the tank, ice guide chute, and base of the ice making section to be set on top of the ice bin.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a water tank that fully utilizes the space the water tank occupies, minimizes the number of parts and is manufactured from molds that can be easily adapted to many types of ice making machines. Various step portions in the water tank provide added support and strength to any ice guide used with the tank, resulting in a water tank with a stiffer design than existing tanks, thereby making the water tank more resistant to wear and tear. The relatively larger water tank and step portions provided thereon facilitate ease of cleaning, as well as for maintenance. The configuration of the water tank allows for the addition of more evaporators as well as simplifies replacement.